Liverpool was deservedly beaten by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Eddie Nketiah’s 95th-minute winner condemning the champions to a 2–1 defeat.
Federico Chiesa thought he had secured another dramatic late point for Liverpool, scoring in the 87th minute to cancel out Ismaïla Sarr’s opener, but former Arsenal striker Nketiah had the final say as he guided Palace to a well-earned victory in stoppage time.
Liverpool had opened the scoring in all seven of their outings this season but found themselves trailing after just nine minutes at Selhurst Park. Their historic adversary Sarr scored his fifth goal against the Reds on his return to the team, benefitting from Ryan Gravenberch’s poor header to slam home from close range at a corner.
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Arne Slot was justifiably furious with the award of the corner, with the ball ricocheting off a Palace player before rolling over the line and was booked for his protestations. The Dutchman was left breathing an enormous sigh of relief just moments later as Alisson produced a stunning save to deny Yéremy Pino his first goal for the Eagles.
Gravenberch rattled the post as Liverpool sought an equalizer, but Palace continued to bully their visitors during a breathless start in the capital. Alisson produced two more exceptional saves by the midway point of the first half, denying Daniel Muñoz and Jean-Philippe Mateta with reflex stops. The Reds were extremely fortunate to only concede once in the early exchanges.
Liverpool appeared to have weathered the Palace storm but once again benefitted from good fortune in first-half stoppage time. Another opportunity went begging for the hosts as Mateta’s exquisite effort from range rebounded off the inside of the post and across the goal line.
The Reds showed signs of improvement after the restart, especially in the final third, and could have easily equalized on the hour mark when Florian Wirtz redirected a teasing delivery towards Dean Henderson. From just six yards out, the German should have found the net rather than the goalkeeper’s gloves.
Liverpool’s new cult hero Chiesa appeared to have spared his side’s blushes with three minutes of regulation time remaining, popping up at the far post to equalize despite a lengthy VAR check regarding a potential Mohamed Salah handball end route to the Italian.
But Liverpool finally found themselves on the receiving end of late heartbreak as Nketiah fired beyond Alisson to end the Reds’ winning run and punish a disjointed defensive performance.
Crediblenewsng.com
